


3 Lives

by LiliR22



Category: GOT7, K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - After College/University, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 14:32:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17582657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiliR22/pseuds/LiliR22
Summary: Mark’s roommate, Bambam, brought home their new roommate, Park Jinyoung, and Mark falls for him at first sight. Now watch Mark struggle through this crush as he falls for Jinyoung more and more, and the world tests him more and more.





	3 Lives

♥ ♥ ♡ ~ Day 1 ~

“Mark, you ok, bro?”

“I want you.”

Mark heard a gagging noise next to him before an annoying voice practically shrieked,

“Ew dude, what the fuck?”

Mark snapped out of his gaze, whipping his head to the side to meet his friend’s disgusted gaze.

“Shit, did I say that out loud?”

The younger boy next to Mark rolled his eyes, 

“Ugh yes and I repeat, ew what the fuck?”

Mark ignored his friend, looking back in the direction he was previously staring. There stood the most beautiful boy in the world and Bambam who was currently touring that beauty around their apartment. The boy next to him followed Mark’s line of sight to see what he was staring at.

“EWwWw, you want Bambam? Dude he’s cute and all bu-“

Mark groaned loudly as he slapped a hand over the younger boy’s mouth before he drew any unwanted attention towards them.

“No, moron. I don’t want Bambam. Why is that your first assumption when there is literally a new boy with a face that looks like it was carved from marble BY A GODDAMN RENAISSANCE ARTIST in our kitchen right now? WHY WOULD I BE TALKING ABOUT BAMBAM, YUGYEOM?”

Yugyeom shrugged, reaching up to tug Mark’s hand away from his mouth before whisper-shouting,

“I don’t know, he’s a cute boy. Don’t take your goddamn sexual frustration out on me!”

Mark whipped his head back to Yugyeom, ignoring the first part of his statement and glaring daggers at him as he hissed,

“Well then don’t ask stupid questions that I can take out my anger on.”

Yugyeom hit Mark’s hand that was still hovering near him and that quickly escalated into a full fledged slapping fight.

“I swear to god Kim Yugyeom, I’ll kill you.”

Mark proclaimed, emphasizing each syllable with a punch as he straddled the boy - who was now laying on the ground.

“Umm I sure hope we aren’t interrupting anything here that could possibly FRIGHTEN THE GUEST AWAY.”

Both boys’ heads whipped up to the source of the very angry voice and found a glaring Bambam and an amused looking beauty slightly behind him. Mark slowly moved his hands away from Yugyeom’s throat so he could wave at the new boy awkwardly. Yugyeom coughed uncomfortably underneath him, alerting Mark who scrambled off of him instantly. Both boys stumbled and stood up to greet the new boy, bowing slightly as they introduced themselves.

“Nope, you weren’t interrupting anything at all. Hi, I’m Kim Yugyeom!”

Bambam’s glare softened, grateful that the boys could at least pull themselves together for a semi-proper introduction. The stranger smiled warmly and nodded in his direction before turning to Mark and waiting for his name. As the pair finally made eye contact for the first time, Mark’s hand immediately shot up to rub the back of his neck. He couldn’t hold eye contact for very long, fearing he’d forget every word he had to say, so he looked down as he spoke,

“H-hello, I’m Mark Tuan.”

Bambam knew Mark was normally shy around strangers, so he thought nothing of it as he turned back to the boy behind him and continued to introduce his friends.

“Mark is the oldest of the bunch and he currently owns the book store down on Main Street. He’s originally from America, so I met him in college when they did a program for all the new foreigners in our school. He was shy, I was loud, we worked perfectly. That’s also where we met our fourth roommate, Jackson - also loud. He’s out at work right now, you’ll meet him later. Yugyeom is the youngest of the bunch and he’s been my bestie since freshman year of college, when we were dorm roommates. He works at the bakery near Mark’s bookstore.”

Jinyoung smiled brightly as he listened to Bambam. Once finished, he turned to the two boys in front of him and finally spoke,

“Hello, I’m Park Jinyoung. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I became friends with Bambam through work when I moved here a week ago and when I told him I needed a place to stay, he said that you guys had a room available. Thank you for taking me in.”

He bowed at the end of his speech and Mark raised his head to smile at him. His voice was a like a deep velvet and Mark felt like he could close his eyes and listen for hours. He spoke formally and politely, which made him even cuter in Mark’s eyes. Park-Jin-Young, that’s a cute name. Mark’s gaze admired each feature of Jinyoung’s face as he studied the boy carefully, finally being able to see him up close. His dark chocolate eyes were cute, and so were his cheeks, and his nose, and his li- oh wait, did he just ask Mark a question?

“Mark? It is Mark, right?”

Mark snapped back to attention, dragging his gaze back to meet Jinyoung’s eyes. He nodded quickly, nearly giving himself whiplash,

“Uh yes. Yes it is. I’m Mark.”

The raven haired boy chuckled before repeating his earlier statement,

“So, Bambam said you owned the book store on Main Street? That’s amazing! That place looks so adorable, I’ll have to join you there sometime.”

Mark smiled at the thought of getting to spend time alone with Jinyoung already, and he nodded quickly again. This was seriously getting dangerous for his neck.

“Yeah! I’d love for you to come with me one day.”

Jinyoung smiled and Bambam tapped on his shoulder, pulling his attention away from Mark. Mark tried hard not to pout as the two boys chatted in front of him,

“Alright Jinyoung, ready to finish the tour? All that’s left is the bathroom and your room, which are right next to each other.”

Mark perked up again, looking to Bambam,

“Are you giving him Jaebum’s room?”

Bambam nodded,

“Jaebum moved in with Youngjae and when he stays here he usually just sleeps in Jackson’s room anyway, so yeah.”

Bambam shrugged and Mark felt a party go off in his mind. Jaebum’s old room just so happened to be right next to Mark’s. How did Mark ever get so lucky?

The two boys made their way to the other side of the apartment where all the bedrooms were situated and Mark watched them go. He heard a snicker from behind him and he turned around to face the taller boy, scowling at him.

“Mark’s in loOveE, Mark’s in loveeee.”

The boy sang and Mark lunged at the boy, tackling him to the ground and shutting him up,

“No I’m not, shut up. He’s just cute, that’s all.”

Yugyeom giggled even though Mark was currently slapping him. 

“Mhmm sure, that’s all it is.”

The boy giggled louder as Mark’s glare grew stronger and a lightbulb went off in Mark’s head,

“Hey...wait, what was that you said earlier about Bambam being cute?”

The boy’s eyes widened as he quickly yelped,

“Nothing that was nothing.”  
Mark’s eyes grew wide as he began to laugh maniacally,

“DUDE NO WAY, YOU?...AND BAMMIE?...DO YOU REALLY-“

Mark was cut off by a light punch to the stomach and Yugyeom had flipped the two over, covering Mark’s hand with his mouth,

“No no no no, you’re wrong you’re wrong and you will never ever repeat anything you heard.”

Mark giggled loudly before he replied - still muffled by Yugyeom’s hand -

“I won’t if you won’t.”

 

♥ ♡ ♡ ~ 2 weeks later ~

Each day that passed seemed to only get harder and harder for Mark. It felt like the world was challenging his self control and each new day was just a harder level in this cruel cruel video game. It felt like he had lost a life as he struggled to keep his distance from Jinyoung. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could make it.

“I can do this. He’s just a normal guy and I feel nothing. I will not stare.”

That seemed to be his daily mantra now. Mark wakes up in the morning now, he repeats it. He bumps into Jinyoung when cooking, he repeats it. Jinyoung bends down to grab a mixing bowl from the cabinet, he repeats it (MANY TIMES). Jinyoung walks out his room with his pajamas still on and a cute sleepy look, he repeats it. Jinyoung smiles at him, repeat. Jinyoung laughs at a joke he made, repeat. Jinyoung, repeat. Jinyoung, repeat. Jinyoung, repeat.  
This was a never ending cycle that seemed to drag the energy out of Mark and he was OVER IT. 

Mark stepped out of his bedroom, his biggest blanket draped over his shoulders like a king’s robe. He scanned the area around him - to make sure there was no Jinyoung in sight - before quietly walking down the hallway, holding his blanket together with a clenched fist.

Maybe this morning could actually be peaceful for Mark and his mind. He quickly regretted thinking that exactly 4 seconds later. The bathroom door flung open and before Mark could react, a half naked Jinyoung stepped out into the hallway with a cheery smile - he currently wore a loose white T-shirt that displayed way too much collarbone and blue boxers. He greeted Mark and Mark immediately tensed up. They were now face to face in a very tiny hallway and Mark could see the water droplets that threatened to fall off the tips of his raven hair.

“Mark? Are you alright? You look a bit pale.”

He brought his hand up to gently touch Mark’s forehead and Mark screwed his eyes shut, repeating the mantra in his head over and over at rapid fire. He WILL NOT lose a life in this video game today. NOT TODAY. He let out a strangled,

“Yeah, I’m just dandy.” 

He heard a slight chuckle from Jinyoung and quickly pulled away from Jinyoung’s hand, which still brushed over his forehead. He nodded at the boy, refusing to make eye contact, before scurrying back to his room, nearly tripping over his blanket as he did. He could feel Jinyoung’s stare on his back the entire way.

He slammed his bedroom door shut, dropping his makeshift cape to the floor before gently slamming his head against the door repeatedly as he spoke,

“What - is - wrong - with - me? Just dandy, who the fuck says just dandy?”

“Um Markie Pooh, you ok buddy?”

Mark whipped around, his eyes wide as he finally observed his surroundings and realized... this didn’t look like his room. There in the corner of the room was a platinum blonde boy, laying on his bed as he played with his phone.

“Oh...hey Jackson. Yeah I’m great.”

Jackson smirked at that obvious lie, looking up from his phone to stare at Mark. His eyebrow raised mischievously as he asked, 

“Are you great?...or are you just dandy?”

Mark’s eyes went impossibly wide,

“Shit did you hear that just now?!”

Jackson laughed as he threw his phone down on his bed, turning his full attention to Mark now,

“Well I heard it just now when you repeated it to yourself as you slammed your head against my bedroom door. Weird hobby, by the way.”

Mark rolled his eyes, sighing in relief before pressing his back against the door and slowly lowering himself to the ground to sit in his puddle of blanket. 

“Sooo,”

Jackson continued, realizing Mark wasn’t going to respond,

“Are you going to explain what that was just now?”

Mark looked up at Jackson, pulling the blanket closer around him as he questioned whether or not to explain the situation.

“Umm well I-“

Mark was quickly cut off by gentle knocks to the door, which caused him to jump in shock. Jackson groaned in annoyance at the interruption, falling back onto his bed. Mark shuffled away from the door, standing up and pulling it open to find out who had interrupted his confession time.  
The door flung open and Mark came face to face with a grinning Yugyeom,

“Ew Mark, what are you doing here? Where’s Jackson?”

Mark rolled his eyes, walking away from the door to go collect his blanket as he muttered to himself,

“Nice to see you too, Brat.”

Yugyeom’s eyes brightened as he spotted Jackson in the corner of the room,

“Jackson, your boy toy just got here! He’s in the kitchen meeting Jinyoung for the first time right now!”

Jackson jumped up excitedly and Mark’s head shot up at the sound of Jinyoung’s name. 

“Jaebummie!!”

Jackson shouted as he practically sprinted past Yugyeom and straight to kitchen. Mark took this as his time to run to the bathroom while everyone is distracted. He made his way to his bedroom, quickly grabbing any bit of clothes he could find and his towel, before sprinting to the bathroom and shutting the door. As he closed the door, he heard the faint sound of laughter coming from the kitchen and he couldn’t help but feel slightly upset when he recognized who was the source of the laugh. 

He locked the door as he muttered to himself,

“Well maybe you could cause that laughter if you actually talked to him instead of running away, you idiot.”

He continued to grumble angrily to himself as he stripped down and made his way into the shower. He turned the heat up, hoping that the burning water could be a good distraction from his daily thoughts, but just like everything else he tried: it didn’t work. 

**

Mark dried himself off, finally taking the time to look at the clothes he grabbed for himself. Black joggers, boxers, socks, and...possibly the most fitted white tank top that he owned. Crap. He shrugged it off, not having the energy to care. Hey, at least he remembered a top.  
He slid on the clothes and pushed back his damp golden blonde hair to expose his forehead. He grabbed the rest of his stuff before unlocking and throwing open the bathroom door. He looked down to make sure he had everything as he walked out of the bathroom, and he collided straight into a very solid form not even a second later. His dirty clothes fell to the floor as his arms flailed out to hold onto something steady. He felt two hands gently grab his waist and help to steady him. When he finally got his balance, Mark realized his hands were squeezing a pair of shoulders in front of him and the feeling of two strong hands was still around his waist.

He finally looked up to come face to face with exactly what he was fearing. There stood a chuckling Park Jinyoung, his face dangerously close. His voice was soft and gentle when he finally spoke, as if he didn’t want to alarm Mark,

“Hey Mark, I was actually just coming to check on you.”

Mark’s eyebrows shot up, his voice a whisper as he stammered,

“Y-you were checking on me?Why?”

Jinyoung chuckled gently, creases forming at the sides of his eyes in the cutest way possible,

“Well, I wanted to visit your bookstore today and I was really hoping we could go together.”

Mark felt a smile grow on his face knowing that Jinyoung actually thought of him and would like to spend time with him.

“Yeah, I, I would really like that. Do you want to go now?”

Jinyoung nodded excitedly before looking down and staring at Mark’s waist, where his hands were still gently resting,

“Yeah I’d love to go now! Quick note though: as amazing as you look in this top, you should probably bring a sweater. It’s kinda cold.”

Mark looked down, realizing how much skin he was exposing right now and how close Jinyoung’s hands were to his bare skin. He felt his ears burn up as he quickly pulled his hands away from Jinyoung’s shoulders and avoided eye contact. 

“Yeah haha, thanks for the warning. I’m gonna go grab a hoodie now.”

Jinyoung smiled gently at him, slowly pulling his hands away from Mark’s waist. Mark resisted the urge to pout as the loss of touch. He stepped away and dashed to his room. He grabbed the first hoodie he could find and as he pulled it on, he paused for a second. 

‘Wait. Did Jinyoung just say I looked amazing in this top? Was that a real statement that came from Park Jinyoung’s mouth?’

Mark felt his face burn as he pulled on his hoodie. He fanned his face, trying to distract himself as he made his way out of his room and back into the hallway.

“You ready?”

Mark looked up to see Jinyoung leaned against the wall waiting for him, smiling brightly, and he couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face as he watched the boy in front of him.

“Yeah, let’s go!”

**

“Wow, you actually own this place? That’s amazing!”

Jinyoung exclaimed excitedly as he looked back and forth between Mark and the overflowing shelves of books. Mark grinned proudly as he nodded at Jinyoung,

“Yup! Feel free to look around and pick up whatever you want!”

That was all Jinyoung needed to hear before he practically sprinted over to the nearest bookshelf, immediately getting lost among the books. Mark giggled at Jinyoung’s childlike excitement as he took off his jacket and threw it behind the checkout counter, greeting the cashier currently working there,

“Hey, Youngjae!”

Youngjae beamed up at Mark, sunshine as always,

“Hi Mark! What are you doing here today? You usually don’t visit today.”

Mark shrugged, sliding onto the counter to take a seat.

“A friend wanted to visit, so I came along with him.”

Youngjae tilted his head at Mark, a curious expression on his face,

“You have more friends other than Bambam, Yugyeom and Jackson?”

Mark scowled at the boy, who immediately bit his lip as he realized what he said,

“Yes, Youngjae, I do. He’s actually our new roommate.”

“Ohhhh, that makes sense. Jackson mentioned that you guys had a new roommate. Jin...Hyuk? I want to meet him!”

Before Mark could speak, a voice popped up from behind them,

“Actually, it’s Jinyoung. Park Jinyoung. Hello! Nice to meet you.”

Both boys turned towards the voice, coming face to face with a grinning Jinyoung who seemed to be struggling to carry the new giant stack of books he held. Mark slid off the counter quickly, reaching up to grab some of the books off the top of Jinyoung’s stack and placing them on the counter. Jinyoung sighed gratefully and Mark could have sworn he was seeing things but Jinyoung’s eyes seemed to linger on Mark’s bare arms as he carried the books for him. 

“Oh hello, I’m Youngjae! It’s nice to meet you too!”

Jinyoung smiled warmly, placing down the books before reaching out to shake Youngjae‘s hand. Mark smiled, hopping back onto the counter and watching the boys in front of him. Youngjae whistled as his eyes scanned all of the books in front of him and Jinyoung scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. This was the first time Mark had ever seen Jinyoung look even slightly embarrassed and...

‘Wow, I think I love this expression the most.’

He thought to himself. 

“Hm? Mark did you say  
something?”

Both boys turned to look at him and Mark froze. Shit, he really had to stop doing that. 

“Nope, nothing at all. Anyway, Jinyoung, I’m guessing you like to read?”

Mark turned to Jinyoung’s pile of books, raising an eyebrow and smirking. Jinyoung chuckled, his cheeks now a faint shade of pink,

“Yeah, kinda.”

Mark made eye contact with Jinyoung and grinned,

“Well that’s perfect. Means you can visit here often.”

Jinyoung’s eyes widened slightly, a small smirk forming on his face,

“Yeah I guess so, huh?”

Mark suddenly turned his body to face Jinyoung fully, his eyes twinkling excitedly,

“Hey, I have a great idea! Why don’t you stay here and read for a while and I’ll go pick up some coffee and treats from Yugyeom’s bakery? Whatever you don’t finish here you can take home and finish. It’s on me! You can treat this place like your own personal library.”

Jinyoung’s eyes gleamed, practically bursting with happiness,

“Oh my god, Mark. That sounds amazing. You’d really let me do that? Are you sure that isn’t too much?”

Mark nodded excitedly, bouncing like a little kid now,

“Of course! I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it!”

Jinyoung beamed with excitement, skipping over and throwing his arms around Mark.

“Thank you thank you thank you! Wow, you’re the best!”

Mark froze for a second, his cheeks were on fire now, before slowly moving to hug Jinyoung back.  
‘Yup’ he thought to himself, ‘This makes everything worth it.’  
Jinyoung pulled away after a second but stayed close to Mark and Mark couldn’t resist the pout that formed on his face from the loss of contact. Jinyoung chuckled as he stared up at Mark, muttering to himself,

“Cute.”

Mark looked down at his lap and his face felt like it was on fire. He slid off the counter quickly, landing directly next to Jinyoung. He could feel his arm brush against Jinyoung’s and it took everything not to shiver.

“Ok well, um the couches and tables are in the back of the store. I’m going to go grab some food and what type of coffee do you like? Also Youngjae, want anything?”

“Ummm, a vanilla latte please.”

“Yes please, Hyung! Just get my usual, thank you!”

Mark nodded and quickly walked towards the door,

“Wait, Mark!”

Mark turned around to see Jinyoung jogging up him.

“Here, can’t have everyone seeing those gorgeous arms.”

Mark looked down to see Jinyoung holding out a gray hoodie. He looked up to find Jinyoung smiling cheekily and he thanked him, quickly taking the jacket out of hands and sliding it on. Jinyoung thanked him one more time before walking Mark to the door of the bookstore.

‘WHATTHEFUCKWHATTHEFUCKWHATISHAPPENING?’

Mark’s mind raced and his face felt like it was on fire. Thank god the weather was cold outside because Mark needed something to cool him down right now. Mark looked down at the ground, a bright grin on his face,

‘Hey...maybe I should wear tank tops more often.’

**

Mark shuffled back into the bookstore quickly, his jacket wrapped around him tightly, a tray of coffees in one hand a bag of treats in the other. He walked up to the counter, placing a coffee and a bag in front of Youngjae, 

“One Iced Americano and a croissant for you.”

Youngjae smiled gratefully, picking up the drink and taking a sip before closing his eyes and releasing a satisfied sigh,

“You’re a god send, Tuan.”

Mark giggled, sticking out his tongue,

“I know. Anyway, is Jinyoung in the back?”

Youngjae smirked at Mark, an eyebrow raised,

“Yup, also when were you planning on telling me?”

Mark tilted his head, staring at Youngjae,

“Um, tell you what? That Jinyoung’s staying with us?”

Youngjae’s smirk grew wider,

“Nope, I’m talking about that fact that you are crushing HARD on him. I haven’t seen you giggle like that since...well, ever now that I think about it.”

Mark’s eyes widened, he whipped his head around quickly to make sure no one was around them before turning back to Youngjae and whisper-yelling,

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Youngjae rolled his eyes, still smiling blindingly at Mark,

“Mark, c’mon he definitely can’t hear you from the back of the store and neither of you are very subtle. Are you really just going to try and hide this?”

Mark leaned in closer to the counter, attempting to quiet down Youngjae,

“First off, yes I will keep denying this. Second off...what do you mean neither of us are subtle?”

Youngjae rolled his eyes again, staring at Mark like he was missing something right in front of his face,

“Mark, seriously? I had to sit here and watch you two flirt for like 15 minutes and you’re going to ask me that question? Jesus dude, you better make a move quick or Jinyoung is going to think you’re just playing him.”

Mark shook his head furiously,

“Nope Nope Nope, he’s my roommate and I’m not ruining that. What if he doesn’t feel the same way and then we would have to live LITERALLY NEXT DOOR TO EACH OTHER? Could you imagine how horrible that would be for the both of us?”

Youngjae sighed, a sympathetic look written across his face, and he leaned forward to place a hand on Mark’s shoulder,

“Mark, trust me, I get how scary that could be. But think of an even scarier thought: neither of you ever make a move and eventually Jinyoung moves out. Then years later down the line, you meet up and have a chat. Next thing you know, you find out you both used to like each other and could have happily been together, doing what you want, for as long as you want but you were both too chicken to let it happen. And then it’s too late.”

Mark nodded, his shoulders now slumped a little more, 

“Yeah, you make a good and terrifying scenario, Youngjae. I don’t know though, I will say something eventually. Just not now. I don’t think I can right now.”

Youngjae nodded, smiling at Mark and gently patting his shoulder,

“Take your time man, I just don’t want you to lose out on something that could possibly make you incredibly happy.”

Mark looked up at Youngjae, returning his smile, and leaned over the counter to hug him tightly. That boy really always seemed to brighten up his day.

“Oh,”

Mark and Youngjae pulled away to see an awkward looking Jinyoung, who was now staring at the floor with red ears,

“Sorry if I’m interrupting something! Just wanted to pick a new book from the pile to read.”

Jinyoung squeaked out quickly. Mark and Youngjae chuckled, pulling away from each other,

“Don’t worry about it, Jinyoung. Come pick a new book! Also I got your coffee.”

Mark smiled at him warmly and Jinyoung looked up to return the smile, walking over to the two boys and accepting the drink Mark handed to him. Mark watched his Jinyoung’s face as he took a drink, closing his eyes and smiling gently, wrapping both hands around the warm paper cup. Mark giggled at Jinyoung’s giddy expression and Jinyoung’s eyes shot open to jokingly glare at Mark as he took another sip. Mark slid the book off of the top of the waiting pile on the counter, gently sliding the current book out from Jinyoung’s underarm and nudging the new book in before smiling back up at Jinyoung and whispering,

“There we go. C’mon, we can head to the back.”

Jinyoung nodded, his cheeks now a light pink from the warmth of the cup - at least that’s what Mark told himself. The two boys walked side by side down the shelves of books - Mark stopped to grab a new book he wanted to read - until they made their way to the back sitting area of the shop. They placed their belongings down on the small coffee table in front of them and took a seat on two cozy chairs placed next to each other. Mark groaned loudly and happily. He fell back into the chair and threw his head back, causing Jinyoung to chuckle. Mark snuck a glance at Jinyoung, who was already staring at him,

“Sorry, haven’t had this much silence and comfort in a while due to work...and Yugyeom.”

Jinyoung giggled now as he watched Mark’s scrunched up face,

“Well then you should definitely take the time to rest now. I’ll stay silent, I promise.”

Mark gave Jinyoung a lazy half-smile as he admired his facial features for the 1000th time. 

“Actually, I don’t think I’d mind if you talked.”

Jinyoung raised his eyebrows, watching Mark whose eyes were now fighting to stay open. Jinyoung chuckled at the cute sight in front of him, reaching over to grab his coffee and noticing a little bag placed next to it.

“What’s this?”

Jinyoung asked, dangling the bag for Mark to see. Mark opened an eye to peek up at Jinyoung, who was smiling down at him,

“Oh those are some treats from the bakery I wanted you to try.”

Mark mumbled back sleepily and Jinyoung’s eyes widened before a large grin broke out on his face.

“Really? Wow, thank you! I’m excited to try them.”

Mark’s eyes dragged open to grin cheekily up at Jinyoung,

“Try em now. I wanna see your reaction.”

Jinyoung laughed as he opened up the small bag and found three small treats inside, he smiled as he pulled one out and brought it to his lips,

“Mm wow, these are amazing!”

Mark grinned widely now, excited,

“Right? These are the treats Yugyeom makes, isn’t that amazing? It’s a shame he never bakes at home.”

Mark pouted and Jinyoung giggled as he took another bite and nodded at the comment. Jinyoung stuck out his tongue to lick a bit of vanilla frosting off of his bottom lip and Mark’s eyes dropped to follow the movement, admiring the view in front of him. Jinyoung’s eyebrow quirked as he watched Mark’s eyes, a small smirk growing on his lips,

“Wanna try?”

Mark’s eyes shot up to meet  
Jinyoung’s,

“Wanna try a bite, Mark?”

Mark swallowed, shaking his head no before reaching over and grabbing his Iced Americano to take a big gulp. Jinyoung chuckled, finishing the last bite of a treat before picking up his new book and flipping it open to the first page. Mark allowed his eyes to flutter shut again, letting the peace and quiet wash over him. 

“Jinyoung?”

Mark spoke, not bothering to open his eyes,

“Hmm?”

“Read out loud to me.”

Jinyoung chuckled gently,

“What?”

Mark was too tired to feel any shame right now,

“Your voice...I like it. Read to me.”

Jinyoung looked down at the boy who was peacefully resting next to him and couldn’t hold back his wide grin as he gently replied,

“Ok, Mark. There was once a girl,”

 

♥ ♥ ♡ ~ 2 weeks later ~

The house was empty tonight. Yugyeom and Bambam wanted to go out for some dinner and Bambam invited the rest of the boys - which led to a pouty Yugyeom. Mark said he wasn’t in the mood tonight and every boy whined to him, but he merely shrugged and shuffled into his room to enjoy some silence. After a few minutes he heard the mass of voices fade away and a door slam shut, he assumed that meant everyone had finally left. He sighed as he stripped off his clothes into his boxers and white tank top and scooted into bed. He opened his laptop and turned on a movie, finally enjoying some peace and quiet. 

A little while later, Mark heard gentle music coming from the living room. He looked up, his eyebrows furrowed. He was sure that everyone had left by now. He paused his movie, getting up and gently making his way over to his bedroom door, cracking it open and peeking his head out. He heard the music coming from the kitchen and saw a shadow walking around. 

‘Hm, one of the boys must have stayed home.’ He thought to himself as he made his way to the kitchen to check who it was. He shuffled into the kitchen and froze when he saw the back of a certain raven haired boy in front of him, currently stirring something in a pot as he sang to himself. Mark leaned against the doorframe, staring as he listened to the boy sing - which was somehow more beautiful than listening to him speak.

♫ Give me reasons we should be complete.  
You should be with him, I can’t compete. ♫

Mark chuckled as watched the boy sway his hips to the rhythm and Jinyoung turned around suddenly to find Mark staring at him. Mark watched Jinyoung’s ears go beet red and he felt a smirk grow on his lips. 

“M-Mark, how long have you been there?”

Mark chuckled, walking up next to Jinyoung to look into the pot,

“Don’t worry, I just got here. You don’t have to stop singing, though. I liked it. What are you making?”

Jinyoung smiled gently, his cheeks burning as he looked down at the pot, 

“Umm well I wasn’t really in the mood to go out and I realized the two of us still needed something to eat. So I decided to just make some Kimchi Jjigae. Also um thanks, didn’t know you’d hear that.”

Mark chuckled as he leaned back onto the counter, placing his hands behind him to hold himself up. 

“I’m glad I heard it. Also thank you for the meal, I’m glad someone in this house knows how to cook.”

Jinyoung chuckled, refusing to make eye contact as he grabbed a spoon and began stirring more ingredients in,

“Haha yeah it’s no problem, it’s easy to make anyway.”

Mark leaned closer to watch Jinyoung cook,

“It’s impressive and I bet it’ll taste amazing!”

Mark smiled up at Jinyoung with childlike excitement and Jinyoung finally looked up to return the smile, muttering a quiet “thank you.”  
Mark nodded before walking over to stand right next to Jinyoung,

“Is there anything I could do to help?”

Jinyoung looked up to smile at the boy and Mark looked over at Jinyoung, smiling gently. In that moment, Mark realized just how close their faces were. Both boys froze as they stood shoulder to shoulder, staring into each other’s eyes, Jinyoung’s music still playing the background,

♫ I don’t wanna slow dance, in the dark ♫

Mark’s eyes flickered down to Jinyoung’s pale pink lips before looking back up to his eyes - which were now staring down at his lips. Mark felt a small smirk begin to grow on his lips as he slowly began to lean forward.

Suddenly, Mark heard a small sizzling noise coming from next to them and Jinyoung yelped, pulling away to look down at his hand. Mark looked down to find the pot next to them overflowing and Jinyoung’s fingers were now bright red. Mark shouted as he turned off the stove and moved the pot to the sink quickly, before making his way back to Jinyoung to hold his hand.

“Are you alright?”

Jinyoung winced,

“Yeah, I think the water just burned my fingers a little.”

Mark inspected the boy’s puffy red fingers before leading him over to the sink to run some cold water over. Jinyoung hissed as the water showered his fingers and Mark placed his free hand on Jinyoung’s lower back, rubbing small circles to distract him from the stinging. Jinyoung made a small noise as he leaned his head on Mark’s shoulder, his eyes scrunched shut as he waited for the burn to stop stinging. Mark rested his head on Jinyoung, continuing to rub small circles as held Jinyoung’s hand under the freezing water. 

Mark felt his eyes shut as he rested on top of Jinyoung’s head and the two boys stayed in that position for a few minutes until Mark heard Jinyoung whisper,

“Um Mark, I think it’s stopped stinging now.”

Mark’s eyes shot open and he pulled away quickly to check Jinyoung’s hand, which appeared slightly less red now. Mark turned back to face Jinyoung and tapped on the counter next to him,

“Come sit, I’ll bandage it.”

“Oh, you really don’t have to.”

Jinyoung mumbled out, but Mark held Jinyoung’s side gently and moved him towards the counter, helping him up,

“Don’t worry about it, we wouldn’t want that to get any worse.”

Jinyoung nodded and Mark walked to other side of the kitchen to grab supplies from one of the cabinets. Mark pushed off the counter and reached up to grab what he needed from the top shelf. He felt his shirt rise up and looked down to finally realize what he was currently wearing.

‘Shit, I really need to stop letting him see me like this.’

Mark thought to himself as he grabbed the supplies and tugged his tank top down. Mark turned around to find Jinyoung’s eyes trailing over him and it was hard to hold back the blush rising to his face. He coughed awkwardly as he made his way back to Jinyoung, and Jinyoung’s eyes shot back up to meet Mark’s. Mark gently grabbed Jinyoung’s hand, bringing it closer so that he could apply some aloe vera along his fingers and gently wrap some bandage over specifically red parts. Mark lived with three other boys that he met in college, this was definitely not the first time he had to treat a burn.

Once Mark was done, he placed the supplies down and whispered to Jinyoung,

“I’ll be right back.”

Jinyoung nodded and remained seated on the counter as he waited for Mark, who arrived back in the kitchen just a few minutes later,

“Is everything alright?”

Mark nodded, smiling up at Jinyoung,

“Perfect. How are you feeling?”

Jinyoung smiled gently at Mark,

“Much better thanks to my Dr. Tuan.”

Mark chuckled as he made his way over to Jinyoung, putting out his hand to help Jinyoung off of the countertop. Mark continued to hold Jinyoung’s hand as he gently pulled him into the living room. Jinyoung giggled, allowing himself to be pulled along and eventually seated onto the couch to face the TV. Mark ran towards the bedrooms, returning not even a minute later with a giant blanket. He plopped down on the couch next to Jinyoung and turned on the TV before looking over at Jinyoung,

“No more cooking, now it’s a movie night.”

Jinyoung giggled as he stared at Mark, nodding in agreement,

“I’m kinda disappointed that I didn’t get to cook for you, though.”

Mark smiled brightly, patting Jinyoung’s leg as he gently said,

“Another night for sure, I definitely have to try your cooking!” 

Jinyoung smiled at Mark, nodding again as he whispered “Definitely” and Mark returned the smile, before reaching for the TV remote. He pressed play on a horror movie he already had set up and spread the blanket over Jinyoung and himself. The two boys leaned closer to each other as they began to watch the movie. Occasionally, Mark would look over to watch Jinyoung’s focused face as he watched the movie and he couldn’t help but giggle a bit.

“What?”

Jinyoung asked, looking over at Mark with a grin on his face. 

“Nothing.”

Mark whispered, giggling as he stuck out his tongue. Jinyoung smirked at the boy, pushing him gently with his shoulder,

“C’mon, what is it?”

Mark stared up at Jinyoung, a grin growing on his face and Jinyoung stared back, his eyes flickering around to admire Mark’s different features. The boys stayed there for a few moments, watching each other as the movie played like white noise in the background. A moment later, a buzz was heard from the front door, breaking them from their silence. Mark leaped up, shouting an “I’ll be right back!” before running to the front door. 

A few moments later, Mark returned with a giant cardboard box and a wide grin. Jinyoung sat up to watch as Mark placed the box down on the coffee table in front of them and shuffled back into his seat. Mark leaned forward to flip the box open and rip off a slice of pizza, handing it to Jinyoung who smiled gratefully. Both boys leaned back into the couch, sitting side by side as they ate and focused on the movie. 

An hour and nearly a full box of pizza later, Mark felt his eyes slowly begin to shut and within a few seconds, the movie in front of him had completely disappeared. It was now replaced with a new scene.  
Mark looked around and realized he was now sitting in the middle of a restaurant. There was plate of his favorite foods in front of him and sitting across from him was a smiling Jinyoung.

“What the hell?”

He muttered to himself. Jinyoung chuckled, raising his hand to hold out a fork to Mark. Mark looked down at the fork, realizing that Jinyoung was offering to feed him some of his food. Hesitantly, Mark leaned forward and bit the food off of the fork, looking up at Jinyoung who still smiled gently. Mark felt butterflies crowd his stomach as Jinyoung leaned forward to swipe his thumb over the side of Mark’s lip, rubbing off a bit of sauce. Mark stared intently as Jinyoung brought his own hand back to his lips and licked the sauce off of his thumb. It took everything Mark had to not react to the boy in front of him but he could feel his body working against him. 

“Mark?”

Mark’s eyes shot up to meet Jinyoung’s, who was staring directly at Mark with an unreadable expression. Mark waited for the boy to continue,

“Do you want to get out of here?”

Mark nodded vigorously, barely a second of hesitation. Jinyoung smirked, standing up and wrapping his arms around Mark’s shoulders. He leaned in so his lips were directly next to Mark’s ear and he whispered,

“Mark? Mark? Wake upppp.”

‘What the fuck?’ Mark’s eyes shot open to reveal the worst possible thing he could see in this moment: Kim Yugyeom shoving his arm aggressively and whining. Mark rubbed at his eyes, looking around to see a sleeping Jinyoung laying next to him and a black TV screen.

“What do you want?”

Mark spat out, scooting up to give Jinyoung some space - apparently the boys had fallen asleep nearly on top of each other.

“Wow, excuseee me for trying to prevent you from getting some serious back pains. God forbid I get a single thank you for trying to do a good deed.”

Mark rolled his eyes, moving the blanket off of his lap so he could stand up and stretch his already aching body. The figure next to him turned slightly, pulling the blanket closer, and both Mark and Yugyeom turned to watch.

“Wow, he seriously looks like a prince in his sleep. How is that even possible?”

Yugyeom questioned and Mark shrugged, admiring Jinyoung’s relaxed face and the cute way he wrapped himself into the blanket.  
“I truly don’t know, Yugyeom.”  
Yugyeom turned back to Mark, raising his eyebrows suggestively as he scanned Mark’s practically half naked body. 

“Sooo, what did we miss here in the loft? Also, please tell me that what we missed didn’t happen on our SHARED couch.”

Mark rolled his eyes, gently punching Yugyeom’s arm. 

“Shut up, nothing happened.”

Yugyeom threw his head back and groaned dramatically, 

“Jesus Christ, Mark. You two were literally alone together in the loft for hours. You’re half naked, there’s date-night food, and a horror movie set up and YOU DIDNT MAKE ONE MOVE? You’re hopeless. That’s it. You’re just hopeless.”

Mark sighed, shoulders slumping forward as he thought to himself,

“Yeah, you’re right honestly.”

Yugyeom looked at Mark, a frown and a sympathetic look written across his face as Mark continued,

“There was a moment that I thought something could happen...but then he burnt his fingers. He literally got injured when I tried to make my move. Maybe this seriously was just not meant to be.”

Yugyeom snorted, raising an eyebrow at Mark,

“Did he actually? Wow yeah, that’s unlucky.”

Mark nodded, beginning to chuckle along with the boy at how bad his own luck was. The boys saw movement from the corner of their eyes and looked over to see Jinyoung sitting up slowly and stretching his arms. He placed a hand over his mouth and yawned gently, and with that sight alone he could’ve had Mark wrapped around his beautiful pale finger. 

“Hey, Sleeping beauty.”

Mark spoke gently, smirking down at Jinyoung who threw a lazy smile back before rubbing his puffy eyes,

“I could say the same to you. You fell asleep first, mister.”

Yugyeom glanced between the two boys, smiling as he walked away from the scene and into the kitchen. Mark held out his hand to Jinyoung,

“C’mon, let’s head to our rooms now. This couch will kill your back, trust me.”

Jinyoung chuckled, reaching out to let himself be pulled up by Mark. He stumbled forward, gripping onto Mark’s arm for balance. Mark felt his cheeks burn as Jinyoung kept his hold on Mark’s arm, yawning as he leaned his cheek on Mark’s shoulder. Jinyoung smacked his lips together, pulling Mark’s giant blanket around him tighter. His eyes fell shut as he leaned more body weight on Mark. Mark chuckled, muttering “cute” as he held the boy up and slowly shuffled him to the bedrooms.

Mark threw the door to Jinyoung’s bedroom open, shuffling him to the bed and gently pushing his shoulder so he would lay down. Jinyoung snuggled into bed, wrapping Mark’s blanket tighter around him and Mark chuckled as he pulled Jinyoung’s comforter over him.

“Keep it for the night.”

Mark chuckled, patting Jinyoung’s blanket-clad waist before turning to walk away. He felt a tug on his wrist and turned around to find Jinyoung facing him with his eyes still closed,

“You ok, Jinyoung?”

Jinyoung nodded, smacking his lips together, before pouting,

“Markkkk, I’m sorry.”

Mark frowned, allowing Jinyoung to tug him to the edge of the bed and taking a seat,

“For what, Jinyoung?”

Jinyoung’s pout grew bigger, still not bothering to open his eyes and Mark couldn’t help but chuckle at the big baby in front of him,

“For ruining the moment.”

Jinyoung whined and Mark nearly choked, coughing aggressively before whispering back,

“W-What?”

Jinyoung tugged Mark’s arm closer, rubbing his hand over Mark’s bicep gently and humming happily before whispering,

“You leaned in and I ruined it. So I just had to stare at you and hate myself for missing out on that for the rest of the night.”

Mark couldn’t hold back the chuckle as Jinyoung’s pout grew bigger. He brought his free hand up to brush the hair off Jinyoung’s face,

“It’s alright, Jinyoung. You didn’t ruin anything. You never could. Maybe it’s just not meant to happen.”

Jinyoung groaned loudly, turning onto his side to fully face Mark now and pulling him even closer, wrapping around his arm like a koala bear.

“Mmm Nope. You’re wrong, Tuan. One day it’ll happen. One day.”

Mark chuckled again, his fingers tracing over Jinyoung’s cheekbones and trailing their way down to his plush lips. Mark finally gave into his urge, rubbing his thumb over Jinyoung’s bottom and poking at it gently. Jinyoung smiled before puckering his lips to place a peck on Mark’s finger. Mark froze, realizing the reality of the situation and slowly pulled his hand away. Jinyoung was tired and so was he, he shouldn’t take advantage of this moment. 

“Jinyoung, I have to go to sleep now.”

Jinyoung whined, tugging at Mark’s arm and causing Mark to giggle more.

“Jinyounggg, you’re going to have to let go now.”

“Mark,”

Jinyoung froze, his voice coming out as barely a whisper,

“Stay here.”

Mark’s eyes widened, his voice stuttering as he responding,

“I-I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Jinyoung. I have to go now.”

Jinyoung pouted more before slowly releasing his grip on Mark’s arm. Mark gently pulled away, frowning at the loss of Jinyoung’s warmth on his side. His rubbed his cheek one more time before standing up and making his way to the door.

“Goodnight, Jinyoung.”

Mark whispered, but he could already hear Jinyoung’s soft snores. He smiled at the lump of blanket in front of him one last time before shutting the door.

 

♥ ♥ ♡ ~ The morning after ~

Mark ruffled his golden blonde locks as he shuffled out of his bedroom, not bothering to change his clothes. He shuffled into the bathroom, not bothering to lock the door because he was only brushing his teeth. A minute later, he heard the sound of the door opening and looked over to see an equally tired-looking Jinyoung,

“Goo Mornin”

Mark’s muffled voice greeted as he continued to scrub at his teeth, leaning against the bathroom sink. He couldn’t help the slightly pink tint that came to cheeks at the sight of Jinyoung. Jinyoung’s head whipped up in shock, not aware that someone was already in there,

“Oops, sorry.”

He mumbled, keeping his head down as he turned around to leave. Mark spit out his toothpaste quickly,

“You don’t have to leave. I’m just brushing my teeth, I’ll be out of here in a second.”

Jinyoung turned back around, nodding his head at Mark,

“Oh ok.”

He smiled at Mark and Mark’s eyes scanned Jinyoung for the first time. He chuckled as he realized what Jinyoung was wearing,

“That blanket looks cute on you.”

Mark commented before turning back to continue brushing his teeth. He looked up to see Jinyoung’s blushing reflection in the mirror and smirked.

“O-oh sorry. I forgot to give it back.”

Jinyoung stuttered shyly, moving to pull the blanket off. Mark walked up to Jinyoung, reaching up to tug the blanket tighter around Jinyoung, toothbrush still hanging out of his mouth,

“Ish alright, I didn’ ashk for it back. I jush said you look cute.”

Jinyoung smiled, lowering his head as he pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders. Mark grinned at the boy’s shy smile before turning around and walking back to the sink. He leaned over to spit out the toothpaste and wash out his mouth. He placed his toothbrush back in the cup and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

He turned around to find Jinyoung standing slightly closer now, his eyes scanning over his body. Mark smirked, walking up to Jinyoung and reaching around him to use the towel right next to him. He heard a small inhale from Jinyoung, who stood frozen in place now and he looked up to flash a small grin at him before pulling away and walking over to the door. He turned around to find Jinyoung’s eyes still following him as he shut the door behind him.

‘Where the hell did that confidence come from, Tuan?’

He thought to himself as he smirked and made his way past the dining table and to the kitchen for some breakfast. 

“Markie-Pooh? What’s up? You seem unusually happy for 9 am in the morning.”

Jackson - who was currently seated at the dining table - stated curiously, tilting his head as his eyes scanned the older boy in front of him. Mark chuckled as he grabbed a box cereal and a clean bowl from the kitchen, 

“Don’t know, I’m just feeling good today.”

Mark shouted back to the boy. Jackson hesitated at the boy’s response for a few more seconds before breaking out into a large grin,

“Yay! Then that means you won’t mind if ask you for a favor.”

Mark sighed, rolling his eyes as he poured his cereal,

“Depends, what’s the favor?”

Jackson smirked, knowing Mark would always agree to help him no matter what. He was Mark’s soft spot.

“Wellll, my buddy Jooheon is coming over to spend the night and organize some work stuff with me. Sooooo, I kinda need a place for him to stay now that Jaebum’s room is taken.”

Mark raised an eyebrow, peeking out of the kitchen to look at Jackson before walking over to the fridge for some milk,

“Why can’t he just stay in your room?”

Jackson smiled, a small blush growing on his cheeks,

“Welll, you know how jealous Jaebummie can be Mark. Plus, Jooheon’s a guest so I don’t want to put him in the couch.”

Mark rolled his eyes but he did understand where Jackson was coming from. A jealous Jaebum was NOT a nice Jaebum to be around. Mark learned that the hard way when Jackson first introduced Jaebum and Mark to each other. Jaebum squeezed his hand just a bit too tight and glared at Mark just a bit too much that night.

Mark shivered at just the thought of it. 

“Yeah yeah. I get it, Jacks. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

Mark nodded, walking over and placing his bowl on the table as he took a seat next to Jackson.

“Yay!!”

Jackson squealed, jumping out of his seat to give Mark a tight bear hug,

“I knew I could count on you, Markie-Pooh!”

Mark chuckled, allowing himself to be attacked by the boy. 

“Markie-Pooh, huh? I like that nickname.”

Jackson and Mark turned to see a chuckling Jinyoung who watched the pair was intense eyes and smirk. Jackson rubbed his cheek against Mark, cooing obnoxiously,

“Yup, he’s my Markie-Pooh! Nice nice Markie-Pooh.”

Mark groaned, smiling as he began to eat his cereal. He didn’t bother trying to push Jackson off, he knew it wouldn’t work anyway,

“Stop calling me that, Jackson.”

Jackson giggled, pecking Mark on the cheek before returning back to his seat to finish his breakfast,

“I’ll never stop.”

Jackson muttered back. Mark chuckled, shaking his head at the affectionate boy. He looked up at Jinyoung - who had gone quiet - and found the boy staring at them, no longer smiling. Mark’s smile dropped at the dark look in Jinyoung’s eyes and he watched as Jinyoung walked silently into kitchen. Jackson tapped away happily on his phone, no longer paying attention to the boy’s in front of him, and Mark stood up from his seat. He left his half-full bowl of cereal on the table as he walked into the kitchen. 

Jinyoung was faced away from Mark, lost in his thoughts as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Mark walked up behind Jinyoung, resting his head on his shoulder and causing Jinyoung to jump slightly. Mark giggled as Jinyoung turned around to him with wide eyes,

“Oh my god, don’t scare me like that, Tuan!”

Jinyoung shouted, gently shoving Mark’s shoulder. Mark giggled, catching Jinyoung’s hand and holding it against him, taking a step forward,

“Would you mind pouring me a cup of coffee too...Jinyoungie?”

Jinyoung’s eyes widened, his hand freezing under Mark’s hold,

“Um what did you just say?”

Mark smiled brightly, giggling to himself,

“I asked you to pour me some coffee.”

Jinyoung rolled his eyes, smirking at the boy in front of him,

“No, dummy, after that.”

Mark pouted cutely at Jinyoung,

“I called you Jinyoungie. I like the nickname.”

Mark leaned closer, causing Jinyoung’s breath to hitch. He stared up at Jinyoung from under his eyelashes, a small smirk growing on lips as he whispered,

“I was serious about the coffee though.”

Jinyoung’s face dropped as Mark’s words hit him and he groaned, pulling away to grab a coffee cup for Mark. Mark giggled loudly, pulling away to lean against the counter next to Jinyoung. Mark silently prayed that Jinyoung couldn’t hear how loud his heart was pounding right now as he leaned next to him. He may have gained some confidence in his flirting, but he’s still the same Mark Tuan. 

Jinyoung hummed to himself as he poured Mark a cup of coffee, swaying to the fridge and pulling out the creamer. Mark watched with a small smile on his lips, listening closely to every note Jinyoung hummed. His head swayed back and forth to the song Jinyoung hummed and Jinyoung glanced at him with a smile. He passed Mark the cup of coffee and Mark accepted it gratefully, sipping the coffee before leaning his head to release a happy sigh.

“Perfect.”

Mark muttered. Jinyoung picked up his own coffee, bringing it to his lips. He looked at Mark with a happy smirk, muttering before taking a sip,

“You or the coffee?”

Mark’s eyes widened as he choked on his sip of coffee and Jinyoung giggled as he patted Mark’s back. Mark stared up at Jinyoung, who was now smirking at him as he walked out of the kitchen,

“C’mon, Tuan. Don’t let your coffee get cold.”

Jinyoung spoke, looking over his shoulder from the doorway of the kitchen and smiling at Mark. Mark nodded quickly, gripping his coffee tightly as he bounced after Jinyoung. 

**

That night, Mark twisted back and forth in his sleep. He couldn’t tell if it was because he was trying to get comfortable on the worst couch ever, or if it was because his mind kept going back to the same boy and the cute smile he gave Mark. 

After what felt like forever, Mark finally fell asleep. Mark woke up a few hours later to re-adjust from his uncomfortable position and when he looked down, he found a dark blue blanket spread over him.  
‘I don’t remember bringing this blanket with me.’ Mark thought to himself. He smiled as the image of a familiar prince wrapped in the same navy blue blanket this morning flashed through his head, and he closed his eyes. He wrapped the blanket around him, inhaling gently and peacefully falling asleep to the image of that beautiful boy. 

 

♥ ♥ ♡ ~ The next weekend ~ 

Jinyoung had been visiting Mark at his bookstore nearly every afternoon after his work ended, and Mark took every bit of attention that he could get with a bright smile. They chatted, read books together, drank coffee, ate pastries, and occasionally Jinyoung would read Mark to sleep. Jinyoung would stay until the store closed and then walk home with Mark at the end of the day, waving goodbye to Youngjae every night. It was as if all of Mark’s dreams were coming true, minus Youngjae’s suggestive looks at Mark every time Jinyoung walked into the store. 

Mark never brought up what happened last Saturday night, too afraid that Jinyoung had forgotten, and Jinyoung never brought it up too, so Mark eventually just assumed that Jinyoung had forgotten. He took every opportunity that he could to drop a flirty comment at Jinyoung, and occasionally Jinyoung would drop one back, but he didn’t quite have the courage or the opportunity to make his move again.

**

“Seriously guys? Tonight? Why can’t we just stay home?”

Mark whined and Bambam groaned, rolling his eyes at Mark as he walked up to him,

“You stayed home last weekend, Mark. I’m not gonna let you be antisocial every week. C’mon! We are all going to this party. Jackson’s friend, Jooheon invited ALL OF US and it would be impolite to not at least show up for a bit.”

Mark groaned but gave in easily, allowing Bambam to pull him up from his seat on the couch. He wasn’t in the mood to see a disappointed Jackson tonight and maybe he should go out with his friends more. Bambam dragged him to his room, shoving him through the doorway as he shouted,

“Hurry up and get changed! It better be hot and you better be ready when I get back here or I’ll pick something for you myself! I’m gonna go check on the other boys!”

Mark listened to Bambam retreating footsteps and turned to face his closet, a sense of panic washing over him. The last time he didn’t take Bambam’s threat seriously, he ended up in a VERY glittery and VERY revealing outfit, and Mark was not in the mood for that torture tonight. He stripped as he stared at his closet waiting for a good idea to pop into his head. 

**

“Markkkk! You better be ready!”

By the time Bambam finally came back to Mark, Mark was nearly done fixing his hair - which was pushed back with some mousse, looking better than it had in weeks.  
Bambam whistled as he walked into the room, staring Mark up and down,

“Damn boi, you clean up better than I thought. I knew there was a hot boy buried deep DEEP within there somewhere.”

Mark rolled his eyes, chuckling as he mumbled,

“Gee thanks, Bam.”

Bambam giggled, leaning against the doorway as he waited for Mark to finish up. Mark sprayed a bit of cologne on before grabbing his ripped denim jacket and walking up to Bambam. 

“C’mon, Jackson’s already at Jooheon’s and rest of the guys are heading to the car right now. Let’s go catch up with them.”

Mark nodded, following behind Bambam. He stopped to check his outfit in the mirror one last time - a thin white T-shirt, ripped black skinny jeans, and chunky black combat boots.

“Perfect.”

He whispered before heading out the door. 

**

“Damnnnnn”

Mark heard Yugyeom yell before whistling loudly as Mark hopped into the backseat of the car. Mark chuckled, reaching forward to punch his friend in the shoulder,

“Not bad, Tuan. Not bad.”

Bambam hopped into the driver’s seat, looking at Yugyeom with a pout,

“What about me, Gyeom? This top is new.”

Yugyeom looked over at Bambam, facial expression changing completely to look like an excited puppy dog in love,

“W-well you look amazing as always, Bambam. I like the top.”

Bambam smiled satisfied, turning on the car before turning to look at Yugyeom with a smirk,

“Thanks, Gyeommie. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

Bambam winked at Yugyeom before turning around to reverse out of the parking spot. Yugyeom stared at Bambam with wide eyes, his face going beet red, and Mark knew this boy was putty in Bambam’s hands. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the younger boys in front of him, looking like they were in the same situation Mark was currently in. Mark felt a stare on his side and looked over to find a dark eyed Jinyoung staring at him intensely.  
Mark took the time to scan Jinyoung’s outfit now, tight light blue jeans that accentuated his thighs and a fitted black long sleeve shirt. Simple yet incredibly attractive, perfect for Jinyoung. His jet black hair was pushed back to show off more of his gorgeous facial features, which Mark took the time to admire.

“Wow, you look...Wow.”

Mark heard Jinyoung whisper and Mark grinned at the boy,

“I could say the same to you.”

Mark leaned in and whispered back. Jinyoung’s ears went red as he smirked at Mark, finally breaking eye contact after a bit to look out the window. Every once in a while, Mark would sneak a glance at Jinyoung and see the boy grinning to himself. He really hoped he was the cause of that smile. 

**

“Oh my god, yay!! You guys finally made it!!”

Jackson screeched at the front door of Jooheon’s house, welcoming in the boy’s in excitedly. 

“Hey everyone! Glad you could all make it.”

Jooheon shouted from behind Jackson, his dimpled cheeks and crescent eyes made him look equally as excited as Jackson - who was now bouncing along to the blaring music.

“Jaebum is currently in the kitchen making drink for me. You guy can come say hi if you want and maybe convince him to make you a drink too. He’s pretty amazing at it.”

Jackson gushed excitedly, Jooheon nodding vigorously in the background in agreement. Mark chuckled at the adorable boy’s in front of him, bouncing like puppy dogs. Parties may not be Mark’s thing but they were definitely Jackson’s and Jooheon’s. They look like they were practically made to be there and it somehow made Mark more relaxed. Mark followed Jackson to the kitchen, hoping he could grab a drink and loosen up quickly. He felt a tug on his jacket sleeve and turned to find an awkward looking Jinyoung - Bambam and Yugyeom had disappeared already.

“Is everything ok?”

Mark shouted over the music. Jinyoung nodded, pulling Mark’s sleeve to bring Mark closer. He leaned in to Mark’s ear so he didn’t have to shout,

“Sorry, I’m not really a party person and I don’t really know anyone else here.”

Mark smiled gently, reaching up and gently tugging on Jinyoung’s collar so he could reach his ear,

“It’s alright, I’m not really a party person either. Just stay with me.”

Jinyoung smiled gratefully and Mark grabbed his hand, gently lacing their fingers together before pulling him towards the kitchen. 

They arrived in the kitchen to find giddy Jackson now wrapped around Jaebum, who was grinning happily as he grabbed different bottles and poured them into a cocktail shaker, looking like a professional bartender. Mark pulled Jinyoung up to Jaebum, who looked up to greet them,

“Hey Mark, Hey Jinyoung.”

He spoke calmly and the boy’s smiled back, standing to observe Jaebum work his magic. Jaebum closed the shaker, shaking it around as Jackson excitedly pecked at his cheeks. Mark and Jinyoung stared fondly at the adorable couple in front of them. After a few moments, Jaebum cracked open the shaker, lining up four red solo cups and pouring a bright blue liquid into all of them. 

“There ya go, guys. I call it Liquid Magic.”

The boys chuckled at the name as they each grabbed a cup, clinking them together. Mark took a deep breath before taking a big swig. 

“Holy shit, Jaebum. That’s amazing.”

Mark exclaimed. Jinyoung nodded excitedly next to him as he took another sip. Jackson cheered excitedly, gushing over how “chic and sexy” his bartender boyfriend was and Jaebum chuckled at his boyfriend, wrapping an arm around his waist. Mark thanked Jaebum for the drink, finishing it up and scooping up an arm-full of beers before grabbing Jinyoung’s hand again and pulling him out of the room. He turned to Jinyoung, shouting,

“We better give them some privacy now before you see something you really don’t want to see!”

Jinyoung laughed as Mark carried him to a couch that was now empty, thank god. The two boys plopped onto the couch and Mark cracked open two of the beers he grabbed, handing one of them to Jinyoung who accepted it gratefully. Mark leaned his head back against the couch and Jinyoung pulled his legs up, throwing his arm across the back of the couch. They sat in silence, sipping their beers for a bit before Jinyoung leaned in to talk to Mark,

“So, I’m going to take a wild guess here and say Yugyeom has a crush on Bambam?”

Mark turned to look at Jinyoung, unsurprised that the boy was able to figure this out. He had been living in the same apartment as the boy’s for a over a month now and had seen many interactions between them. Yugyeom wasn’t exactly subtle with this crush he had, even though he believed he was. Mark laughed, finishing up his beer and reaching down to grab a new one,

“You are correct, my friend. Yugyeom is crazy for him”

Jinyoung held out his empty can to Mark and Mark handed the boy another beer. 

“...and honestly, I think Bambam feels the same way. At least, I hope he does. I couldn’t stand to see Yugyeom go through that heartbreak.”

Jinyoung nodded, looking over at Mark,

“Oh I’m pretty sure Bambam feels the same way as Yugyeom.”

Mark raised his eyebrows, looking over at Jinyoung, who was leaning his cheek on the palm of his hand and staring at Mark with an amused look,

“Oh really? And how can you be so sure?”

Mark questioned, a hint of amusement in his voice. Jinyoung leaned forward, raising his hand to point out at the dance floor. A grin tugged at the sides of lips as he spoke,

“Because right now he is glaring at Yugyeom, who is currently dancing with a girl. Bambam looks like he either wants to be that girl or wants to murder that girl.”

Mark chuckled looking over to the main dance floor area to find what Jinyoung was pointing at. Sure enough, a second later, Mark found Yugyeom dancing next to a girl who looked like she was getting just a bit too friendly. Mark looked around and about 40 feet away from them, in the corner of the room, was a very pissed off Bambam who switched between scanning up and down Yugyeom’s body and shooting death glares at the girl. 

Mark chuckled, turning back to face Jinyoung who was still staring at him. He took another swig of his beer before commenting,

“Well, let’s hope one of them will make a move soon. They’re practically made for each other.”

Jinyoung smiled at Mark’s comment, nodding in agreement,

“Yeah they really are...but first moves are never easy.”

Mark took another swig of his beer, turning to look at the dancing mob in front of him,

“Amen to that.”

Mark commented and Jinyoung chuckled, finishing up his second beer and reaching over Mark to grab another. Mark’s breath hitched as he watched Jinyoung’s back muscles move, now dangerously close to him. Jinyoung pulled away, shooting Mark a smile as he sat up again and cracked open his beer. Mark chugged the remainder of his second beer quickly, throwing it to the side and grabbing another. 

“Hey, Mark?”

“Hmm?”

Mark didn’t look over, he knew he wouldn’t be able to control himself if he did now. 

“Have you ever confessed to anyone before?”

Mark turned to look at Jinyoung finally, tilting his head, confused by the random question,

“Honestly, no. I’ve been confessed too a couple times before, but only from girls and I never felt anything with them. Eventually, I figured out my sexuality but I got too distracted with life and work and never got to explore much of that. I messed around and stuff but nope, I’ve never confessed.”

Mark wasn’t expecting to share that much with Jinyoung but his brain was already a little buzzed from this previous drinks. Jinyoung hummed, nodding along as he processed the new information.

“What about you?”

Mark questioned as he admired Jinyoung’s side profile, which was now radiating from the neon lights scattered around everywhere. His eyes were dark, but the rest of him seemed to practically shine.

“Um, once, in high school. Confessed to a guy I liked and...he actually said yes. We fooled around for a while but then eventually he told me he was just experimenting and decided it wasn’t for him.”

“Yikes.”

Mark scrunched his nose and Jinyoung chuckled, taking a sip of his drink,

“I honestly think I dodged a bullet there. He was kind of a dick.”

Mark giggled, glad that Jinyoung was able to laugh it off now. 

“Well, I mean, he was definitely a dumbass if he left you.”

Jinyoung chuckled again, gently pushing Mark’s shoulder as he mumbled,

“Shut up.”

“I’m serious!”

Mark replied, giggling happily,

“Any guy would have to be a complete dumbass to dump you. I mean look at you! You’re literally a prince and you have the personality of one too! It’s not fair!”

Jinyoung covered his mouth with his hand, giggling happily,

“God, you’re drunk, Mark.”

Mark smiled gently, leaning forward and reaching up to pull Jinyoung’s hand away from his mouth, uncovering his smile as he whispered,

“Maybe a little...but I think like that even when I’m sober.”

Jinyoung’s giggles faded as he turned to look at Mark, a small smile and deep blush on his face now,

“Mark, you should really be careful with what you say.”

Jinyoung spoke gently, small grin still tugging at his lips. Their faces were now inches apart and Mark’s eyes dropped down to Jinyoung’s lips. His heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest as he whispered back,

“Or What?”

Mark leaned forward, crashing his lips into Jinyoung’s, who responded instantly, wrapping his arm around Mark’s waist and pulling him closer. Mark dropped his half-full beer to the ground, not caring about anything else but the feeling of Jinyoung’s lips on his right now. Jinyoung invaded his senses and he wanted more. He wrapped his arms around Jinyoung’s shoulders, running his fingers through the boy’s hair and tugging gently. Jinyoung moaned gently and Mark took this opportunity to slide his tongue in, leaning forward to deepen the kiss, which accepted eagerly. Mark sat up on his knees now, leaning over Jinyoung who was now pressed onto the back of the couch. They kissed passionately as Jinyoung’s hands roamed up and down Mark’s sides, occasionally tracing his fingertips along lines of definition and causing Mark to shiver. 

After a few moments, they pulled away to catch their breath,

“Please tell me you’ll remember this tomorrow morning.”

Jinyoung whispered, chuckling lightly,

“I don’t think could ever forget this.”

Mark whispered back. His eyes roamed over Jinyoung’s face, admiring the view he had been imagining in his head for a month now. There was Jinyoung, his face mere inches away from him. His hair was ruffled from Mark running his fingers through it, he panted slightly as he tried to catch his breath, his lips were a deep shade of pink, his cheeks were flushed, and he stared at Mark with pure want. 

Mark dipped his head down, placing small pecks on Jinyoung’s lips before moving to place kisses across his cheeks and jawline. Jinyoung’s hands gripped Mark’s side tightly. Mark could feel the vibration from Jinyoung’s throat on his lips as Jinyoung chuckled at the cute boy on top of him. 

“Oh, hey Mark.”

Jinyoung whispered gently,

“Mmm?”

Mark responded as he continued to press kisses onto Jinyoung’s throat,

“Umm I think we aren’t the only ones finally making a move tonight.”

“Huh?”

Mark questioned as Jinyoung chuckled more. Mark shifted to look at where Jinyoung was watching. He turned just in time to see Bambam walking up to Yugyeom and reaching out to grab his hand. Yugyeom looked confused as he paused his dancing to stare at Bambam. Bambam tugged at Yugyeom’s arm, pulling it around his waist and Yugyeom stumbled closer to Bambam. Bambam smirked as he wrapped his arms around Yugyeom’s shoulders, and Mark could see Yugyeom’s blush from here. The girl next to Yugyeom rolled her eyes, walking away to find another boy, and Bambam smirked as he held Yugyeom closer. The pair danced along to the song blasting through the speakers and Mark couldn’t help but smile at the sight. The younger boy’s looked lost in their own little world. 

Mark turned back around to find Jinyoung already staring up at him with fond eyes. 

“Hi”

Jinyoung whispered, a smile growing on his face,

“Hey”

Mark responded, reaching up to run his fingers through Jinyoung’s hair. Jinyoung leaned into his touch, looking up at Mark with a smirk,

“Wanna leave this party?”

Jinyoung questioned, chuckling as he raised an eyebrow. Mark giggled, leaning down to meet Jinyoung’s lips one more time as he nodded gently,

“Park Jinyoung, there’s nothing I’d rather do right now.”

 

♥ ♥ ♥ ~ ♥ ♥ ♥

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! I really hope you enjoyed ^^ This is definitely one of the longest one-shots that I have written and I would love to hear your thoughts! Also lemme know what your favorite part is :) <3


End file.
